EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17936, 15 May 1920, Page 10

EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE

ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER. (Pzb United Pbsss Association.) ' ~ . WELLINGTON, May 14. Addressing 1 the Jbiducataou Conference, tli< Hon. G. J. Pair (Minister of -bxlueawoii outlined important proposals regarding edu cationul lolorm. Tho Minister, who wa* aooorded a moat enthusiastio hearing, aak 1, he desired to ixitroduoo a number of sub 1 jepts for free diaouasian with refereaoe tc educational reform in Now Zealand. He wished to take advantage of the pieeeixx of all the inspectors and . representative teaohora from all over the dominion to disouss important matters which oame within their own peculiar province. Ho wanted , thorn specially to discuss tho question of re' oaating tho wjiole syllabus of instruction, with the object of providing for—(a) 'Ihc termination of the primary school course at approximately the age of 12 years; (b) tlie preparation of pupik for &dminsion tc secondary schools at the ago of about 12 years; (o) the establishment of Ooiitraj schools at which pupils who do not proceed I to secondary schools will continue their studies after passing primary stage; (d) the further instruction in primary schools i for, say, two years of pupik who have completed their primary school course in localities where the establishment of central j schools would bo desirable; (e) a scheme of ■i continued daylight education to, say, the i age of 18. The Minister, proceeding, said ' all the world over leading educationists ; were advising the recasting of the whole primary system of education on tho lines he indicated. Such proposals obviously meant more schools and more teachers, but that was no reason why Now Zealand should , lag behind the rest of the world. They oould carry on from 12 to 15 years with an elementary oourso in most country ' schools. In the cities, of course, there should be no difficulty. He was afraid that many children lost a lot of time under our ' Sixth Standard oouree as it at present existed. Elsewhere they were cutting down , the elementary course and starting a secondary course at the age of 12 years. It was ' held that a knowledge of the three R's should be rooted and established by the age of 12 years. He quoted nuiieroua authorities abroad as showing the trend of educational reform, and in this connection specially emphasised the importance of establishing oontral schools. People at Home, he . observed, sicoe the war nad been taking hold of the problem with both hands. Were we not lagging behind? What he wanted to .hear, them specially discuss was tho establishment of elementary schools for children between the ages of six and 12, intermediate schools for children between the ages o_f 12 and 16 not attending secondary schools,; and secondary schools for children ! between 12 and 18. The Minister, in concluding his address, said the opinion of a leading educationalist in Australia (Mr Frank Tait) was. that unless they frankly recognised that elementary education ended at 12 years of age the propor development of intermediate sad higher education, was ; impossible. > The conference passed the following resolutions: — "This meeting considers that the time a teacher or an inspector spent on active service should be reckoned aa doublo time for supetfanaoation and grading." "That infant mistress and senior woman assistant in school of Grade 5C or hieher be £aoe<a. for grading purposes, an a group not lower than group 4." . f That the appointment of teachers by Education Boards shall be mode in accordance with the grading list, with a provision for special positions as by the senior i inspector, provided that salaries be brought i into better relation than at present to tho value of the various positions, and provision be made as far as possible far placing teachers in positions corresponding to their efficiency." "That this conference reoommends that • the grading of groups be made on the .basic, of position; that when groups aro based on position, some of the present Group 2 teachers be placed in Group 3, and some of the present Group 3 teachers in , Group 4; that the present Groups 5 and 6 ,bo combined, and some of the present Group 4 teachers be placed in that group; that teachers receiving salaries of grade 7 be plaoed in a separate group." . . Mr T. Forsyth, chairman of the_ Association of Education Boards, speaking with reference, to the resolution passed in connection' with 'the appointment of teachers, said . hoards would welcome the provision of a reliable grading list, and provided teachers wished it, boards would offer no objection to the appointment of all teachers by some central authority. , After discussing the Minister's scheme, the conferenco carried the following resoluvtiori: —'"That the whole syllabus of instruction be reoast, with the object of providing for—(1) Termination of the primary school course at approximately the age of 12 years; (2!) the preparation of punfk for admission to secondary schools at the aw cT 12; (3) the establishment o.f central schools where all pupils who do not proceed to the secondary schools will be ablo to continue their education to the age of 16." '